The Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) is a small North American mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.
It lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and molluscs. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs shallow surface tunnels for foraging; often, these tunnels exit underwater. It is active day and night and remains active in winter, when it has been observed tunnelling through the s...
Many animal species are adapted to quite narrow habitats providing certain living conditions. This is not different concerning cats: Cheetahs, eg., are animals which are able to survive only in savannas and semi-deserts, while Tigers are "forest creatures", which prefer habitats with a lot of trees and much water. But on the other hand there are also species, which are real allrounders, inhabiting all kinds of habitats in many subspecies. The most prominent examples are the Leopard in Africa and Asia and its American counterpart - the Puma.
Camels inhabiting the Andes in South America? Sounds quite surprising! Thinking of camels, the One-humped camel or Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and the Two-humped camel or Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) from the African and Asian deserts come to one's mind. But these tall camel species have close relatives in South America - the smaller Llamas or South American camels. This group consists of just two species too: the Guanaco (Lama guanacoë), the wild ancestor of the domestic Llama and Alpaca, and the even smaller and daintier Vicuna (Lama vicugna). Reaching a length of about 1,5 m,...
They fascinate. They repel.
Some pose a danger. Most are harmless.
And whether they are seen as slimy creatures or colorful curiosities, snakes play important environmental roles in the fragile ecosystems of the nation's wildlife areas.
People who frequent these wilderness spots, as well as those who camp, hike, picnic, or live in snake-inhabited areas, should be aware of potential dangers posed by venomous snakes. A bite from one of these, in which the snake may inject varying degrees of toxic venom, should always be considered a medical emergency, says the American Red Cross.
A large, cowlike mammal with distinct hump in the shoulder region; head, neck, shoulders, and forelegs with long, shaggy hair; hind part of body with short hair; head heavy with short, curved, black horns; tail short and ending in tuft of hair; color brownish black anteriorly, brownish posteriorly. Dental formula: I 0/3, C 0/1, Pm 3/3, M 3/3 X 2 = 32. External measurements approach: (males) total length, 3,400 mm; tail, 610 mm; hind foot, 610 mm; height at shoulders, 1,800 mm; females somewhat smaller. Weight of bulls, 700-1,000 kg; females, 300-400 kg.
A member of the crocodile family, alligators are living fossils that can be traced back 230 million years.
First listed as an endangered species in 1967, the American alligator was removed from the endangered species list in 1987 after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced a complete recovery of the species.
Population: Once on the brink of extinction, well over a million alligators can be found today in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia.
Threats: Once hunted for their hides, alligators today are threatened mainly by habitat loss and encounters with people.
Survival: Alligators can live 35 to 50 years in the wild. In captivity, 60 to 80 years.
The Russian Trotter was developed by crossing the Orlov Trotter with the with the American Standardbred (American Trotter) and subsequent breeding inter se.
The crossbreeding began in the 1890s. Prior to 1914, 156 stallions and 220 purebred mares were used. After World War One and Civil War, the importation of American Trotters stopped; systematic activity began so as to improve the speed, conformation and the measurements of the crossbred. The goal was to find the best combination of these features. By 1950, the breed formation was completed. In 1960, in order to improve the breed's spe...
The principle development of the Quarter Horse was in the southwestern part of the United States in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, eastern Colorado, and Kansas. Some breed historians have maintained that it is the oldest breed of horses in the United States and that the true beginning of the Quarter Horse was in the Carolinas and Virginia. Nye1 has suggested that the Chickasaws secured from the Indians were the true beginning of the Quarter Horse. These were small blocky horses, probably of Spanish extraction, which the planters secured from the Indians, and which were adapted for a variety o...
The American Paint Horse - A Colorful Part of Our Western Heritage
Let your imagination carry you back to a simpler time. A time when wide open spaces under clear, crisp skies beckoned to come explore the wild frontier. Rediscover those basic values and simple pleasures on the back of a colorful horse. Celebrate this chance to return to the roots of the American West with a unique, living legend - the American Paint Horse.
The National Show Horse Registry (NSHR) was created to meet a growing need within the equine industry for beautiful show horses with athletic ability, for new excitement and incentives in the show ring and for a broader base for the show horse industry.
The overwhelming choice for this new breed was an animal that would combine the beauty, refinement and stamina of Arabian with the size and high-stepping motion of the American Saddlebred. With these two breeds as its cornerstone, the National Show Horse was born in 1981. During its history, the NSHR has taken steps to make possible the empl...
American feral horse, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) horse, Range horse
The Mustang is a feral horse found now in the western United States. The name Mustang comes from the Spanish word mesteño or monstenco meaning wild or stray. Originally these were Spanish horses or their descendants but over the years they became a mix of numerous breeds. These were the horses which changed the lives of the Native Americans living in or near the Great Plains. As European settlers came farther west they brought their horses with them. Some were lost to Indian raids, others were freed as wild stallions tore down fences to add the tame mares tn his herd or tame horse escap...
Justin Morgan was a living legend. In the manner of so many heroes, he began as an unremarkable colt and became the father of an entire breed of horses recognized for quality and dependability.
Born in 1789, Justin Morgan started life as a small, rough-coated colt known as "Figure." In 1791, he left his birthplace in Springfield, Massachusetts with his new owner, the soft-spoken schoolteacher Justin Morgan, by whose name the stallion eventually became known. Although his breeding was unknown (thought to be of Dutch, Thoroughbred, or Arabian breeding), the quality of Justin Morgan's ances...
The American Miniature is a "height" breed; they must measure no more than 34 inches in height at maturity. This measurement is the vertical distance from the last hairs at the base of the mane to the ground. These tiny equine are replicas of their larger breed cousins and will look like Quarter Horses, Arabs, Thoroughbreds, and Draft Horses.
The American Miniature Horse Association's Standard of Perfection calls for a small, sound, well-balanced horse, possessing correct conformation characteristics. These horses are not dwarves, runts, or "genetic" errors, but are produced by selectiv...
For decades it was largely accepted that the Spanish bloodlines from which the Mustangs of the American west had descended were either lost or very diluted in the current day Mustangs. However, some people speculated that there might be isolated herds of horses which would still have a strong Spanish influence. In 1977, a herd of mustangs which appeared to be largely of Spanish descent were brought in from the remote and rugged Beaty Butte region in Lake County, Oregon. The animals were uniformly of a dun coloration, ranging from brown-dun to nearly white. All had dorsal stripes and zebra stri...
The herd of ponies at Lojsta moor on the island of Gotland is unique. The Gotland pony, or Russ, as it is called in Sweden, has been called a living relic of the past, and that is precisely what it is. Thanks to decisive intervention on the part of the local inhabitants, Sweden's most primordial horses still live as they have for thousands of years on the wooded moors of Gotland.
The Gotland Pony horses have lived in the forest regions of the island of Gotland from time immemorial. Their history is mysterious and fascinating. Discoveries from the Stone Age show that horses have been pr...
The Exmoor pony is the oldest and purist of the British native pony breeds. The ponies have roamed the bleak, open moors of southwestern England, known as Exmoor, for centuries. They are believed to be the direct descendants of the horses that walked onto Britain before it was an island. Archaeological evidence dating back over 60,000 years bears an uncanny similarity to the Exmoor Pony of today.
Natural selection has designed a pony suited to survival in a cold and wet climate without the provision of food or shelter by mankind. Two features unique to the breed are the “hooded-eye”, or he...
It was a beautiful Spring day, May 10, 1968 , a newborn golden palomino colt galloped up the hillside at the Browntree Farm beside his proud mother, a glittering liver chestnut.
This colt was the product of years of experimental crossbreeding to produce a large pony around 14 hands in height with Arabian type and smooth saddle gaits.
Dream Come True, the Perfect Pony was named BT Golden Splendor and has thrilled spectators at horse shows with his incomparable gaits, golden color, flowing long mane and raised tail carriage.
In 1908 Old King was born. Owned by Professor William P. Newell of Illinois, Old King was true white, pink skinned and had dark brown eyes (as do 90 percent of his progeny). In size he stood 15.2 hands and weighed about 1200 lbs. He was of a very stocky, well muscled with a broad chest, deep girth, sloping croup, strong straight legs, heavy crested neck, thick, long and wavy mane and tail, broad between the eyes, well shaped ears, intelligent and gentle. Versatile, he was trained for riding, parading, driving and high school routines. He also had the ability to pass his qualities on to his pro...
